James daeius gulp



' NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DARIUS GULF, OF SAN FELIPE, CALIFORNIA.

ART OF TREATING CIGARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,493, dated August 12, 1884.

(N specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES D. OULP, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Felipe, Santa Clara county, California, have invented an Improvement in the Art of Treating Oigars, of which the following is'a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to improve cigar-s, both in respect to flavor and burning quality, as indicated by their color or appearance; also, to render the wrapper more flexible and tough and prevent drying out of the filler. To attain this result I apply to cigars a coat or dressing consisting of par-affine dissolved in l 5 naphtha, the proportions being preferably twenty parts to one, by measurement..

It is well known that in the manufacture of cigars much larger unbroken pieces of tobacco leaf must be provided to form the wrapper than is requisite for the filling or insides. In ordinary crops of tobacco, when cured and ready for the market, there is a difference in the burning quality and its indicative color of the leaves that are suitable for wrappers;

2 hence several grades of cigars are made from them. By means of my compound of paraffine dissolved in naphtha, the quality and color can be improved, so that an increased proportion of really good cigars can be made from a 0 tobacco crop- 2. 6., cigars with good fillers and wrappers that were originally light colored. The best proportions for said compound are twenty parts, by measurement, of the ordinary hard commercial paraffine to one part of naphtha, the two being well mixed in any suitable receptacle. The mixing is more readily performed if the paraffine is melted, but this may be dispensed with. The compound may be conveniently applied to cigars by rub-' 40 bing them with a sponge moistened with it.

. The naphtha serves as a solvent of the paraffine to convey it into the pores of the leaf, and quickly evaporates without leaving any trace of its presence, either in taste or odor. Pan affine alone or undissolved I have foundwill not 4 5 thus enter the leaf, and is hence nearly Valueless for the purpose I have in view.

The following are the chief advantages attained by my invention: The cigars dressed with the compound do not dry quickly, but are much better preserved, especially in warm dry climates. The wrappers are also rendered more flexible and tough, so that they are less liable to split or crack or show abrasion, in consequence of friction with each other or the 5 5 sides of the box during long transit, (which most frequently occurs in shipment by rail.) The flavor and burning qualities of the outside part or wrapper are greatly improved, so that tobacco-leaves may be advantageously used for the wrappers which would otherwise be unsuitable, the filler being of strong tobacco and the wrappers, which were originally light in color, being improved in respect to inflammability, which is mainly indicated by deepening the color. In other words, the depth and brilliancy of color are improved in correspond ence with the quality as to flavor and burning.

In further definition of my invention, I will state that a solution of parafline alone and of .shellac in alcohol or ether (but in different proportions) has been employed for anotlier purpose, to wit: for rendering cigarettepaper impervious to saliva.

WVhat I claim is' The herein-described improvement in the art of treating cigars, which consists in applying to them a coating or dressing composed of paraifine and naphtha, of substantially the proportions described, and for the purpose set forth.

J AMES DARIUS OULP.

Witnesses:

M. A. WHEATON, W. B. ISAAOS. 

